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Pharisees
There are God's laws, and then there are man's laws. I grew up in a conservative Christian home; however, my parents are not so conservative that they condemn having a glass of wine every now and then or going to the movies. So, for me, I do not have a problem with people doing these things and whenever I hear of someone condemning alcohol or theaters or some other contrived offense, I smile, thinking, "I know I'm free in Christ to do those things. They are just confused and are too legalistic." But, how do these things coincide with my legalism towards following the speed limit or crossing on the crosswalk? Most people at my school would profess to be Christians, but I would venture to say that I am the only one (or at least one of only a handful) who feels a prick of conscience if I step out of those confining white lines. And while surely not all of them are Christians, I think it is safe to say that at least the majority of the teachers are, and generally they themselves don't even use the crosswalk. They really don't care, and they don't seem to think God cares either. They look at me the same way I look at those who won't drink or go to the theater. So, am I being a Pharisee? Am I contriving offenses which are not truly bad? Is it really that big of a deal if I go with the flow of traffic both when walking (and thereby going off the crosswalk) and when driving (and thereby going over the speed limit at times)? Perhaps I am just making all of this up as my own laws. Sometimes when I think about these questions, I feel like I'm trying to find away around my convictions so I can be free to do what I want. I feel like I'm trying to justify what I currently consider to possibly be sin. Yet don't I have freedom in Christ? While Jesus was on earth, He did things which contradicted man's--namely the Pharisee's--laws. For instance, he healed on the Sabbath and he picked food on the Sabbath. As long as I am not directly contradicting God's laws, perhaps it really isn't that bad to walk across the street if no one is around. Am I not free in Christ? Does not the Bible say in 1 Corinthians 6:12, "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any"? So how does this relate to my legalism? I suppose my main problem is that I know I'm not the authority. There are some things which I know are right and wrong and other things which seem to be a bit blurry. And, with those things, I don't want to sin, but I feel trapped. I feel as if I am doing things which I think are the right things but which no one else agrees with me on. Furthermore, I'm not accomplishing anything by doing these right things because I can't save myself or do anything to gain favor with God. I'm commanded to obey Him, but I am also no longer under the law and I can't seem to sort out all this knowledge and make a definite decision as to how that applies to my life. My question then is, am I being a Pharisee, or is everyone else wrong? And how can I know for sure? It's something to pray about, think about, seek counsel about, and, eventually, make a decision about. And I want to make that decision soon. Note: Not being under the law does not give license to break the law, thus this freedom does not apply to things contrary to God's commands. The command that we submit to the authorities over us is clear in scripture. The matter of legalism has more to do with your trying to earn your way to heaven by obedience and accuse others of not living to your standards. It is not legalistic, though, to seek to obey the law of God out of your gratitude for what he has done for you. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey me."